Epstein Reportedly Rejected Manipulating Cryptocurrency Prices to Avoid Public Ethics Concerns

On April 3rd, data from LookOnChain monitoring indicates Circle has minted 7.5 billion USDC daily over the past four days, with a total issuance of 30 billion USDC.

Per an official announcement dated April 3, Binance Futures will liquidate and settle the following perpetual contracts, with delisting scheduled upon completion of settlement: - 17:00 UTC+8 on April 8, 2026: U-based perpetual contracts OLUSDT, HIPPOUSDT, RLSUSDT, and PUFFERUSDT - 17:00 UTC+8 on April 9, 2026: Coin-margined perpetual contracts WIFUSD and WLDUSD

April 3 — Iranian media report that the governor of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province has announced directives related to American pilots. Village heads in the counties of Lordegan, Falaad, Hamirza, Ardall, Borujen, and Farskoor have been ordered to mobilize searches for American pilots in their respective regions, along with locating and reporting information on American and Israeli spies. The governor has pledged special support and generous rewards to any team that successfully finds and captures these individuals.

April 3rd — Chris Williamson, Chief Business Economist at S&P Global Market Intelligence, noted that PMI survey data shows the U.S. economy is under pressure from rising prices and mounting uncertainty, with the Middle East conflict further amplifying concerns over recent policy moves. The service sector contracted for the first time since January 2023, pushing the overall economy to near-stagnation with a March annualized growth rate of just 0.5%. The consumer-facing services industry was hit hardest, posting one of its largest declines since 2009 (excluding lockdown periods). Previously strong financial services and tech sectors have shown signs of weakening amid market volatility and worries about higher interest rates. The main driver of slowing growth is reduced spending from weaker purchasing power, while March’s sharp energy price hike pushed up costs and selling prices significantly. Survey data suggests businesses are increasingly likely to pass those costs to custome

April 3rd — Iran’s Tasnim News Agency reported that U.S. military forces deployed a Black Hawk helicopter and a C-130 Hercules transport plane on Wednesday in an attempt to rescue the pilot of a U.S. fighter jet shot down by Iran, but the mission was unsuccessful.

Apr 3. Jerry Tempelman, VP of Economic and Fixed Income Research at Mutual of America Capital Management, noted markets are zeroing in on the March non-farm payroll report to confirm labor market stability. Today’s 178,000 job additions have helped ease concerns, and the modest tick in the unemployment rate to 4.3% hasn’t warranted immediate focus. That said, the "low hiring, low firing" slowdown trend can’t be overlooked. Even with last month’s data being a surprise, the Fed’s decision to hold interest rates was fully in line with market expectations. This outcome underscores policymakers’ continued caution as they balance short-term economy-wide impacts with long-term stability. (Jin10)